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AmphibianTerrestrialIntermediate
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Negros Forest Frog
Platymantis negrosensis
A large, robust, ground-dwelling frog exclusively endemic to Negros Island, Philippines, showcasing highly effective leaf-litter camouflage to hide from predators in lowland tropical valleys.
Class:Amphibia
Order:Anura
Family:Ceratobatrachidae
Subfamily:Ceratobatrachinae
Genus:Platymantis
Species:Platymantis negrosensis
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Environment
Terrestrial
Humidity
70 - 90 %
Day temperature
24 - 28 °C
Night temperature
22 - 24 °C
UVB
Low
Species description
Geographical Origin and Habitat: This species is endemic to Negros Island in the Philippines. It inhabits primary and secondary tropical rainforests, ranging from lowland valleys to submontane foothills up to 900 meters above sea level, spending its life on the damp forest floor.
Taxonomy and Genetics: Belongs to the family Ceratobatrachidae and the genus Platymantis. It belongs to the terrestrial cluster of direct-developing species in the region. Eggs are deposited in hidden, damp terrestrial cavities under leaf litter or logs and hatch directly as froglets.
Behavior and Habits: Primarily terrestrial, crepuscular, and nocturnal. During the day, it remains hidden under leaf litter, rotting logs, or soil crevices. At night, it emerges to hunt crawling insects. Males vocalize from ground level or very low logs during rain.
Morphology: A medium-sized, stocky frog with a broad head and relatively short, powerful hind legs adapted for leaping across forest litter. The skin is granular with distinct ridges. Its cryptic coloration is composed of shades of brown, grey, and charcoal to mimic forest soil.
Care, breeding and tankmates
Terrarium Setup: Requires a horizontally oriented terrarium measuring at least 60x40x40 cm (24x16x16 inches) for a pair. Substrate should consist of a moist soil/peat mix 6-8 cm deep, covered with a thick layer of dried hardwood leaves (oak, catappa) and cork bark hides.
Lighting and Heating: Provide low-intensity LED lighting and a 2% to 5% UVB source. Maintain daytime temperatures between 22°C and 25°C (72°F-77°F) with a slight drop at night. Avoid under-tank heating pads as they can dry out the damp soil substrate rapidly.
Humidity and Hydration: Maintain high humidity levels between 80% and 90%. Mist the terrarium daily with reverse osmosis or dechlorinated water. Provide a shallow, broad water bowl for hydration, ensuring the water is changed daily and kept completely free of chlorine.
Feeding and Supplementation: A voracious feeder. Offer a variety of gut-loaded live insects like crickets, small roaches (Dubia), mealworms, and earthworms. Dust prey with calcium and vitamin D3 twice a week, and a complete herpetological multivitamin every two weeks.
Compatibility: Best kept in pairs. Since they are opportunistic ground predators, do not house them with smaller frog species that could be eaten, or with hyperactive tankmates that might disrupt their daytime rest cycles.
Health and Common Diseases: Vulnerable to bacterial skin infections if the substrate is allowed to become waterlogged and stagnant. Maintain a clean leaf litter layer and ensure the drainage layer functions. Monitor calcium intake to prevent Metabolic Bone Disease.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
This species is endemic to Negros Island in the Philippines. It inhabits primary and secondary tropical rainforests, ranging from lowland valleys to submontane foothills up to 900 meters above sea level, spending its life on the damp forest floor.
Origin
South and Southeast Asia
Amphibian profile
- Diet
- No verified data available
- Life expectancy
- No verified data available
- Adult size
- 5 cm
- Lifestyle/Microhabitat
- No verified data available
- Activity cycle
- No verified data available
- Sociality
- No verified data available
- Reproduction
- No verified data available
- Toxicity
- No verified data available
- Life stage
- No verified data available
- Handling tolerance
- No verified data available
- Brumation
- No verified data available
- Molting
- No verified data available
The catalog's scalar value is 5 cm. The AmphiBIO v1 source reports a maximum adult measurement of 5 cm for this species, recorded as snout–vent length (SVL). These figures are not interchangeable: the first is the profile's editorial reference, whereas the second is a published maximum under a specific measurement convention; differences among sources can reflect sex, population, life stage and measuring method.
Image gallery
Licensed images linked to the species or, when marked, to the closest representative taxon.
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